Musical toy



7 July 16, 1929.

. H. A. MY/ERS MUSICAL $51 Filed Dec. 17, 1928 Patented July 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUBERT A. MYERS, OF TOLEDG, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'I'O ARTHUR S. IIICKOK, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

MUSICAL TOY.

Application filed December 17, 1828. Serial No. 326,438.

My invention has for its object to produce a reed musical toy that may be formed at a very low cost of production, and, preferably, one that may be formed of a plastic material, such as a confection, and which has the advantage of producing sound by blowing thereon as well as the advantage of being edible, both of which are very much desired by children. The invention also has for its object to provide a musical toy having a member that may be loc: ted in the toy, or form a part of the toy, for varying the pitch of the sound. lVhere the toy is formed largely of a confec tion, such as candy or chewing gum, or of a material that forms substantially rigid walls, it may be provided with a. member that varies the limitation of the movement of the reed for varying the pitch, or the toy may be formed to have a flexible wall part located in proximity to the reed that may be varied to vary the pitch of the sound produced by the vibration of the reed. Also, the toy may be provided with a plurality of reeds to obtain different sounds and, if desired, provision may be made to limit the hmplitude of oscillation of the reeds.

The invention may be contained in structures of different forms and, to illustrate a practical application, I have selected two embodiments of the invention, as illustrative of the various forms of constructions that contain the invention, and shall describe them hereinafter. The musical toys selected for purposes of illustration are shown in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a view of a longitudinal section of the toy. 2 is a view a longitudinal section taxen on a pl ne at right angles to the plane on which the ction shown in Fig. 1 is taken. 3 is one end view of he toy. Fig. is the opposite end view of the toy. Fig. 5 illustrates a longitudinal section of a modification of the toy shown in Figs. 1 to a. F 6 illustrates a broken end view of the toy illustrated in Fig. 5.

In the form of toy illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4. the walls are preferably formed of a con fection, the walls being formed relatively thick in order to withstand the normal uses of the toy. It is provided with a part that may be referred to as a mouthpiece and also a horn shaped part that may be referred to as the resonant part. In the form of construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the mouthpiece 1 is cast integral with the bell shaped resonant part 2.

The mouthpiece 1 is formed to have a narrow chamber or slot 3 that extends length wise and substantially along the axis of the mouthpiece. It has a width that is consider ably larger than the distance between opposite sides of the slot 3, and a length that is considerably larger than the width. Consequently, the slot is oblong in a plane at right angles to the axis of the mouthpiece and is also oblong in a plane parallel to the axis of the mouthpiece.

A reed 5 is located within the slot or chamher 3 and is secured or anchored at its corners 6 at the outer end of the chamber 3 and the outer end of the reed. Preferably, the reed 5 is provided with ears 7 that extend laterally and fit in recesses or notches formed at the ends of the slot 3 in the wall of the mouthpiece. lVhere the mouthpiece is formed of a confection, slots may be formed in the casting operation and then the ears 7 may be sealed therein by drops of the confection. Preferably, the ears operate to hold the body of the reed 5 at a midpoint between the side surfaces of the slot 3. The reed 5 is made oblong in form, preferably, substantially as shown in Fig. 52 and located relative to the side surfaces of the slot substantially as shown in Fig. 1, whereby the body of the reed 5 is free to vibrate within the limitations of the side surfaces of the slot 3.

In order to enable vibrator i movements of the inner end of the reed the inner ends of the side surfaces 8 are located more remote from each other than the outer ends of the side surfaces. The distance between the outer end portions of the side surfaces 8 from the reed determine the pitch of the sound that is producible by the toy and, consequently, these surfaces are varied in their angularity relative to each other in order to vary the pitch producible by the reed.

If desired, the pitch of the reed may be varied by manipulating a part that will limit the amplitude of the vibration of the reed and thereby vary the rate of vibration. In the form of construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the mouthpiece 10 is formed to have a flexible part for varying the distance between the side surfaces 11 of the chamber or slot 12 of the mouthpiece of the reed. In the particular form shown in Figs. 5 and '6, the toy is formed of a sheet material, such as celluloid, and has a resonant part 13 formed integral with the mouthpiece, the entire construction being substantially bell shaped in form. The reed 5 is anchored at its outer corners substantially in the same manner that the reed is anchored in the form of construction shown in Figs. 1 to 1. The chamber 12 is shaped substantially the same as the chamber 3, except that its inn-er side surfaces 11 form a slightly greater angle than is formed between the surfaces 8 shown in Figs. 1 to 4, in order to provide for change in the distances between the side surfaces 11. Sounds of different pitch are produced by pinching the side walls of the mouthpiece towards each other to vary the distances between the side surfaces 11 and, consequently, the shape of the chamber 12. The elasticity of the side walls causes the return of the side walls and the expansion of the chamber and a lower pitch in the sound when the side walls are released.

I claim:

1. In a musical toy having a mouthpiece and a resonant part, the mouthpiece having a chamber, an oblong reed formed of sheet material and located in the chamber of the mouthpiece and having ears located at the outer corners of the reed, the ears extending into the walls of the mouthpiece for anchoring the outer corners of the reed, the body of the reed free to Vibrate within the chamber of the mouthpiece, the side Walls of the mouthpiece being formed of flexible material for varying the pitch of the sound produced by the toy by varying the shape of the chamber in which the reed is located.

2. In a musical toy having a resonant part and a mouthpiece connected to the resonant part, a reed formed of sheet material and oblong in shape and located within the mouthpiece and extending toward the resonant part, the reed having ears located at the corners of the reed and extending into the wall of the mouthpiece at its lips to anchor the reed at itscorners, the reed free to vibrate in all its parts other than the ears, the interior of the mouthpiece having a surface located on opposite sides of the reed and which is inclined to the surfaces of the reed the ends of the surfaces near the lips of the mouthpiece being located nearer to each other than the other parts of the said surfaces.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

HUBERT A. MYERS. 

